Why it works: Corn and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 10% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 6,955 recipes. Both carry hexanal, which smells green, grassy. The science ↓
Corn Timbales
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Drain the corn, or use 1 ½ cups of another cooked or canned vegetable if desired, and set aside some corn and green onion for garnish.
Spray 2 individual 12 oz casseroles with PAM.
Make the custard
In a medium mixing bowl stir together eggs, milk, salt and pepper.
Stir in remaining corn and green onions.
Divide egg mixture between casseroles.
Bake and serve
Bake, uncovered, in a 325°F oven for 25 minutes.
In a small mixing bowl stir together bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, and margarine. Sprinkle atop casseroles.
Bake, uncovered, for 15 minutes more or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.
Garnish with reserved corn and green onions, if desired.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 9 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Milk | 1 cup (244ml) whole | 149 |
| Parmesan Cheese | 1 oz (28g) | 110 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Corn | 1/2 cup kernels (82g) | 77 |
| Green Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
-
Corn + milktop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together6,955 recipes
Shared aroma: hexanal (green, grassy).
-
Bread + milktop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together11,466 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-undecenal (sweet).
-
Corn + peppertop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,324 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Onion + peppertop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together68,474 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Corn + oniontop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,205 recipes
Shared aroma: hexanal (green, grassy).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Set the custard so the timbales hold their shape when baked.
- Skim milk
- Adds liquid to the egg mixture, keeping the custard tender rather than dense.
- Whole kernel corn
- Provides the main bulk and sweetness in the custard.
- Parmesan cheese
- Adds savory flavor and helps the crumb topping brown.
- Bread crumbs
- Forms a crisp, golden topping over the custard.
The step that matters
Bake until a knife comes out clean. Eggs set as their proteins coagulate with heat. Pulling the casseroles too early leaves the custard wet and loose, while overbaking can make it rubbery and curdled.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (corn, egg, bread, milk, pepper, parmesan cheese):
- Capsicumfits better
- Asparagusfits better
- Tomatofits better
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against corn, egg, bread, milk, pepper, parmesan cheese. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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